The Flower Farmer’s Ethic

The Flower Farmer’s Ethic

The phrase of our time, a time where we have become aware of the fragility of life on this planet and the impact we humans have on it. The locals of Urbana know that the Saturday farmer’s market has become so crowded that walking through the first two rows can be like floating through a sea of people, it’s so crowded it can sometimes be described as stressful! But assuredly it’s better than the alternative, people of this area love to shop for local produce and goods, and believe it’s worth the premium price and effort. It seems people are starting to change the decisions they are making regarding the type of food they are purchasing, and in turn, putting into their bodies. The correlation between these choices and the health of the planet and one’s self has become commonly pronounced undeniable. People are starting to see that chemicals on food means it gets absorbed by the food, in the ground, in the water, effects the bug biosphere, our health, etc. People are starting to say, I don’t want that.

But it seems the flower industry is still not quite up with the times. Organic, and even local, flowers are few and far between, even nowadays when the organic and local movement is so trendy and publicly justified. The flower industry is HUGE, and the use of pesticides and chemicals is just as dangerous as that in the produce industry, it still effects our planet, the local environment, and our own health. You don’t want to stick your nose in a bouquet sprayed with chemicals, do you?

On a recent trip to New Orleans I did some research at a Whole Foods to see what the going rate for “sustainably grown” flowers was–and wanted to see what “sustainably grown” meant. What I found was surprising! All the flowers they carried were shipped from South America, even in the dead of summer. Why weren’t they buying locally?! I also noticed they were all labeled “responsibly grown”, but not “chemical free”, which I wondered about. And their prices? Very comparable to our flowers on a weekly basis, if not pricier. I’m sure at the local farmer’s market I could have found some locally grown flowers, but much like Urbana and towns everywhere, your local grocery stores and one-stop-shops aren’t selling the local flowers, they are selling flowers shipped from all over the world, which like produce, isn’t the most ideal when it comes to fossil fuels, and are grown with chemicals.

Here is a quiz another local flower farmer gave at a class we just participated in, it gives the breakdown of the current flower situation:

We grow flowers at Delight Flower Farm to provide a local and chemical free option for the people in and around our area. We hope to enhance the planet with our farm, and provide joy to all living beings through flowers.